


Just Lucky

by mystic_believexx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Bottom Louis, But everyone has a happy ending, Cheating on the OC, Did I mention everyone has a happy ending, Don't be put off by the cheating tag, Harry is older, I think that covers most of it, It's for the greater good of Larry, Jealous Harry, Jealous Louis, Kissing, Louis is 17 turning 18, M/M, Marking, Mates, Mutual Pining, Niall and Liam are awesome, Piercings, Possessive Harry, Smut, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Top Harry, harry is 22, written for a friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 18:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5881402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Jay looked uncharacteristically thrilled by her daughter’s latest choice of boyfriend but that could be because the guy was smiling at her in, what could only be described as, a charming manner. Louis inexplicably found himself wishing that smile was directed at him.</i>
</p>
<p>Harry couldn’t possibly be his soulmate…could he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> The ‘my soulmate is my sibling’s boyfriend/girlfriend’ trope seems to be a common one but a friend begged me to do it so here it is.  
> P.S: I’m sorry for promising this months ago and only completing it now! Don’t hate me too much <3 xx
> 
> This fic has been translated into Russian by Sali_ST and can be found [here](https://ficbook.net/readfic/4606863.)

**Disclaimer** : This work, including all characters and plot lines, is entirely fictional (even though I wish we lived in a world that contained soulmates). No offence is intended.

 

Louis walked into the kitchen and promptly let out a shout of horror, clapping his hands over his eyes in an attempt to prevent himself from being further scarred by the sight.

“You’re seventeen, Louis!” his Mum’s voice said but she sounded a trace embarrassed, “Old enough to know adults kiss."

“Nope," Louis stated stubbornly, eyes still shut tight, “My _mother_ does not kiss. It’s a moral crime for your children to witness things like that! And don’t even try to tell me it’s a ‘soulmate’ thing!”

Louis’ future step-dad laughed. “He’s got a point, Jay. Imagine if you’d walked in on your parents-”

“Nope!” Jay covered her ears in much the same fashion as her son had done. She moved away from her fiancé, throwing a glare over her shoulder at him as she added, “I _never_ need that image in my head!”

Dan laughed again before turning to Louis with an amused, “Coast’s clear. The PDA has officially been put on hold."

“Thank fuck for that," Louis muttered, opening his eyes and grinning sheepishly when Jay gave him a chastising look for cursing.

“So, are you done with the seating charts?” Louis asked, partially in an attempt to distract his Mum and partially because he was hoping she hadn’t put him next to any of his annoying cousins. 

“Nearly,” she stated and then, clearly reading his mind said, “You’ll be sitting with your Dad, Sandra, Katie, her new boyfriend and whoever you choose as your Plus one."

Louis nodded. It wasn’t odd that his Dad would be at his ex-wife’s wedding. Mark and Jay had been childhood friends who had, upon reaching the age of eighteen, decided that waiting for one’s soulmate wasn’t worth the hassle. They had, as Jay often said, loved each other and had two beautiful kids to show for it but somewhere along the way, what they had once thought was a romantic love, had fizzled down to the same steady friendship they’d always shared.

Louis had been eight when they divorced and just a year later, Mark had met his soulmate- a lovely woman by the name of Sandra. Jay hadn’t met Dan until a year ago but, given that they too were soulmates, it hadn’t taken long for them to get engaged.

The official marriage ceremony was, in Louis’s opinion, just a formality couples did, because everyone could see plain as day the amount of love soulmates had for each other. The concept itself was beautiful. Two souls recognising and being drawn to each other so they could intertwine into one, stronger whole. There was no physical manifestation when you found your soulmate but according to both of Louis’ parents, you “just knew they were the one”.

He himself didn’t expect to meet his for many years to come since meeting your soulmate during your teenage years was a one-in-a-million kind of deal and he just wasn’t that optimistic about his luck.

“Wait,” Louis frowned as he processed his Mum’s words, “Katie’s _new_ boyfriend? I thought she said Aaron was her soulmate!”

Jay rolled her eyes. 

“Oh, you know how Katie is. She thinks getting butterflies in her stomach means she’s found her one and only. She met this Harry bloke right after her and Aaron broke up. They’ve only been dating for a month or so but now she’s convinced _he’s_ her other half."

Dan grinned. “Well, you never know! He might just be."

“Maybe,” Jay said, not sounding convinced at all, “He’s older than her too. Just turned twenty two, she said."

“She’s twenty one, love. It’s hardly scandalous," Dan chuckled. 

Jay opened her mouth to say something further but Louis’ phone chose that moment to vibrate with a text from Liam.

“Gotta go. I don’t want to be late on the first day of school," he said, standing up and grabbing his school bag.

“Do you need me to give you a lift?” Dan asked but Louis shook his head.

“No thanks. I’m catching a ride with Liam. He finally got around to getting his licence over the holidays."

After re-taking the test 4 times but Louis wisely chose not to divulge that bit of information.

Jay still frowned. 

“Skipping breakfast isn’t healthy for you, Louis. Can’t Liam wait a few minutes?”

“I’ll make him stop by McDonalds or something”, Louis shouted over his shoulder, his mother’s exasperated sigh following him out the door.

He grinned as he slipped into the passenger seat of his best friend’s car- an old, Ford Anglia.

“I still can’t believe you got your licence!” Louis said.

“Well, believe it," Liam replied with a matching smile, “I may have bribed the driving instructor with my mum’s pies but it’s the end result that matters, innit?”

“And I can’t believe _this_ is the car you chose to buy!” 

Liam gave him a slap over the head for that, petting the dash of the car as if Louis had hurt its feelings.

“It’s a classic, Tommo! I had to beg my parents to get me one," he replied.

Louis rolled his eyes.  
“Well, aren’t you just the coolest kid in school now," he muttered, sarcastically.

“I ought to be. It’s a classic," Liam repeated and Louis laughed. 

They bantered a lot but Liam was the greatest friend anyone could ask for. Especially when said friend had a car that was warm and dry, which was more than could be said about the weather outside. 

“Do you want to be my plus one to my Mum’s wedding next month?” Louis asked, since it wasn’t likely that he’d have a boyfriend by that point.

“I would but she’s already invited my whole family and I asked Niall to go with me," Liam answered.

Louis grinned. 

“Does Niall realise he has to wear a suit?” 

When Liam just nodded, Louis poked his shoulder, “Come on! Tell me. How did you convince him to come? When I gave him a wedding invite three months ago, he told me he wasn’t cut out for any event that didn’t involve beach shorts and beer."

There was a small pause before Liam said, “We’re…look, don’t make a big deal out of this but…Niall and I are soulmates."

“WHAT?!” Louis thumped Liam on the shoulder slightly harder than he meant to, causing him to nearly swerve into oncoming traffic.

“Fuck, Louis! Reign it in, will ya?”

“That’s a _huge_ deal, Liam! Soulmates. Christ! When did you know?”

“Just last week. You know how both people have to be eighteen for the soul bond to show itself? Well, he turned eighteen during the holidays. I hadn’t seen him since he got back from Ireland with his family so I went to his house yesterday to see if he wanted to hang out. I texted you too, by the way. You ignored me."

“I was in the middle of a FIFA tournament," Louis waved off Liam’s exasperated look, “Not the point, Li. So, you went over to Niall’s and…?”

Louis was a true romantic at heart, even if he pretended not to be absorbed in all that soulmate stuff. His sister teased him enough as it was!

“And we hugged each other like we always do and we just… _knew_. Felt this spark, you know?”

“Must have been weird though, right?” Louis questioned, “Since you and Niall have been best mates since you’ve been in diapers."

Liam chuckled.  
“The weird thing is, it wasn’t weird at all. It felt right. I guess that’s maybe because the soul bond had always been there and both of us being eighteen just strengthened it. It felt as if everything that didn’t make sense before had suddenly fallen into place- the way I’ve always been overprotective of Niall, the reason we miss each other so badly if we spent more than a day apart…it all fits together now that I know he’s my soulmate. It was…the feeling’s indescribable. You’ll know what I mean when you meet yours.”

Louis gave him a cheeky smile. “You sound like a right ol’ sap, Payno."

“I know…” Liam trailed off with a sigh but there was a soft smile on his lips that reminded Louis of how his Mum looked whenever she was talking about Dan.

He groaned as the realisation hit him.

“Fuck! I’m officially the third wheel now, aren’t I? I’m like Joey from Friends!”

Liam didn’t even bother to hide his laugh at that. Forget everything he’d said. Liam was the _worst_ best friend in the world!

“I want a Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal," Louis muttered because he was feeling quite nostalgic of his childhood at the moment and despite his chuckles, Liam turned left into the McDonalds drive thru. 

Okay…maybe he wasn’t the worst. 

_______________________________________________

 

“Katie and Harry are staying here until after the wedding so you’ll have to close the partition wall between your bedroom and the guest room to give him privacy, alright?” Jay asked Louis, who nodded.

He usually had the partition open, using the guest bedroom as an extension of his own but he could make do for a month.

“Don’t you think Katie and her boy will want to share the same room, love?” Dan asked, softly. 

Jay’s lips tightened.

“She may be twenty one but when she’s in this house, the same rules as high school apply. There are some activities her children do that a mother does _not_ need to think about, let alone witness," Jay stated and Dan smiled but didn’t add anything further.

Louis rolled his eyes. If only his mum knew about the amount of times his older sister had snuck her boyfriends into the house and broken that very rule! He had no doubt that Harry would be spending more time in her room than the guest one but he wasn’t going to be a telltale about it.

“You’ll have to share the hall bathroom with him too, Louis”, Jay continued, bringing his attention back to the topic at hand, “The guest bedroom doesn’t have an ensuite. And there are extra blankets in the laundry cupboard if Harry asks for them. Oh! And-” her words were cut off by the doorbell and Louis gave a silent prayer of thanks for the convenient timing. 

“That must be them!” Jay exclaimed before hurrying out of the room to greet her daughter and the apparent love of her life. 

Dan followed after her and Louis trailed along a bit more slowly, trying to picture what Katie’s newest boyfriend would look like. 

It was a game Louis had invented when he was about ten years old and Katie had first started dating. Back then, she seemed to have a new boyfriend every two weeks and her track record hadn’t changed by a large amount even after all these years! An entire month with the same guy was a huge deal when it came to his sister.

Harry, he decided, sounded as if he’d be a short, stocky guy, probably with glasses. He probably wore sweater vests and was really smart and…oh, but wait. Katie’s last boyfriend was an athlete. So maybe Harry was a part of the uni football team or something. A jock who wore blazers and…

His thoughts stopped in their tracks when he saw the guy. He waited to make sure that this was indeed Katie’s boyfriend but when his sister introduced the man standing beside her to Jay, there could be no doubt. 

“This is Harry. Harry, this is my Mum. Sorry we’re late. The traffic was horrendous!”

“Lovely to meet you," the man- _Harry_ \- said, his voice a deep drawl. “We really wouldn’t have minded staying at a hotel though. You’ll be busy with last minute wedding things and I don’t want to intrude."

“Oh, nonsense!” Jay smiled warmly, “As long as you don’t mind a bit of chaos for the next four weeks, I’m more than happy to have you both stay here."

Harry was…he was _nothing_ like what Louis had expected. This man was tall, with lean legs that were showcased by the extremely tight leather pants he wore. Louis usually wore skinny jeans but this was a whole new level of tightness! Harry had paired them with a loose white shirt that had the first four buttons undone and a black jacket was slung around his shoulders. The boots he wore managed to look both comfortable and stylish, fitting the rest of his outfit perfectly.

His hands were large enough to easily hold both his and Katie’s bags and some of his fingers were adorned with rings that Louis wanted to get a better look at. There were dark shapes tattooed across the muscles of his arms and Louis normally hated tattoos on people but on Harry, they somehow worked. It was a sad day when Louis felt the need to commend his sister on her taste in men.

He glanced up at Harry, about to step forward to introduce himself, when he froze.

Louis hoped his mouth hadn’t fallen open because _that face_! Who even had brunette hair long enough to put up into a bun combined with forest green eyes and a dimpled smile? Who the fuck was this person? 

Jay looked uncharacteristically thrilled by her daughter’s latest choice of boyfriend but that could be because the guy was smiling at her in, what could only be described as, a charming manner. Louis inexplicably found himself wishing that smile was directed at him.

By the time he managed to focus on the words being exchanged, Jay had introduced Dan and was ushering both her daughter and Harry into the warm house, shutting the door behind them to ward off the chill. 

“Lou!” Katie’s screech of happiness caused Louis to move his gaze from Harry to her. 

Probably for the best, really. It would be beyond awkward if she caught him gaping at her boyfriend, not to mention rude. 

“Hi KitKat,” he grinned easily and she, predictably, scowled at the nickname but grabbed him in a hug anyway. 

“Long time no see. Forgotten all about us now you’re living it up in the big city?”

“No, but it’s not for lack of trying," Katie smirked while Louis pretended to be offended.

“But honestly, I’ve missed you!” she carried on, “And I’m still angry that you declined the invite to come stay at my flat in London."

“Yeah but see, there’s this inconvenient little thing known as school that I kind of have to go to," Louis replied and his sister rolled her eyes at his sass.

He heard a chuckle and shifted his gaze back towards Harry, who had walked up behind Katie as they were talking. Katie seemed to remember him too, for she pulled Louis forward.

“And this,” she stated with a completely unnecessary flourish, “Is the tiny pest I’ve told you about. My little brother, Louis. Louis, this is my boyfriend, Harry.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Louis. I would shake your hand but your sister here, decided to make me carry _all_ the bags," Harry grinned and Louis caught sight of a glint of silver when Harry spoke. A tongue piercing. Interesting. 

Katie scoffed. “You work out at the gym three times a week! I’m just helping you put those muscles to good use,” she stated.

Louis opened his mouth to say something nice and welcoming but what came out was, “Your hair’s very curly.” 

Shit! His brain to mouth filter needed immediate repair!

Jay gave Louis a quizzical look, Dan laughed to cover up the awkwardness and Katie just blinked down at him with a ‘what the fuck?!” expression on her face. 

“It’s a good thing! Curly hair. It’s..very nice”, he added.  
Wow. Top points for embarrassing yourself, Louis. Really great job! He felt his cheeks turning red.

Harry though, was now giving Louis a beaming smile, amusement clear on his face.

“Why, thank you!” he stated, seriously, “I was born with it but I really do think my L’Oréal conditioner regimen is doing it wonders!” 

And…no. Louis _did not_ feel his knees weaken. He was _not_ about to swoon because this wasn’t some damn Disney movie and this was his sister’s boyfriend. Boyfriend of sister. Right. He was fine. Really. He may have gaped at him for a minute though while Harry grinned back down at him, green eyes shining with mirth. 

“Conditioner. Important that,” Louis said weakly, internally wincing at how idiotic he was managing to sound. 

Harry laughed then, the sound clear and deep, filling Louis with a strange sense of warmth. He found his own lips quirking up into a smile as the older man grinned down at him. 

Louis almost took a step forward, suddenly feeling the urge to touch Harry’s cheek to see if his skin was as soft as it looked, which…right. That was definitely weird and not something he should be doing to his sister’s boyfriend. Or anyone. Ever. He managed to hold himself back.

“You’re both as weird as each other,” Katie’s voice cut into Louis’ internal monologue, allowing the cloud of confusion that had temporarily surrounded his brain to dissipate slightly, “Let’s go up to my room, babe. We can leave the bags there.”

“I’ve set you up a bed in the guest room, Harry,” Jay said with a smile, already won over by the lad. “It’s attached to Louis’ room and I told him to clean it last week so I sincerely hope that’s been done.”

Louis scratched the back of his neck, guiltily.  
“Uh…it was more of a _suggestion_ , really,” he began, not missing the way Harry’s smile widened. 

Katie though, had turned around to fix their Mum with a reproachful look.

“Mum! Come on! I’m twenty one and we’re both responsible adults who-”

“It’s not up for discussion, Katie,” Jay said firmly, “My house, my rules. Harry, you don’t mind do you, love?”

Before Harry could respond, Katie spoke.  
“Mum! My boyfriend doesn’t want to share a room with a little kid!” 

Louis was about to open his mouth to remind her that he was, in fact, three weeks away from turning eighteen and decidedly _not_ a little kid, when Harry spoke.

“No, it’s fine! Really. As long as Louis doesn’t mind sharing with me.”

“Louis’ room’s always a mess”, Katie argued, “And you’re a clean freak, babe. There’s no way you’ll deal with sharing.”

“It’s not _that_ bad!” Louis felt the need to defend his cleaning habits and Harry smiled at him.

“Honestly, it’s fine. Katie just makes it sound like I’m terrified of a bit of dust or something.”

“Well,” Louis bit his lip, looking up at Harry through his eyelashes, “It’s more like a stack of unwashed clothes on the floor and papers all over the desk but…” 

Harry’s sharp bark of laughter cut him off. 

“But I’ll clean it up and you can close the wall partition so…” Louis hurried to add but Harry was shaking his head at him.

“It’s honestly not a problem,” Harry chuckled, giving Louis what could be considered a fond look, “Maybe I’ll be a good influence on you.”

Louis grinned. “You can certainly try,” he responded.

Harry smiled and gave him a wink that made his breath catch for a second. Shit! On second thoughts, having Harry and Katie here for a month might be _slightly_ problematic.

_______________________________________________

 

It was almost too easy for Harry to fit in with the rest of them. Louis had long ago learnt to distance himself from Katie’s boyfriends since they were there one day and gone the next but with Harry, that seemed close to impossible.

He couldn’t stop himself from watching the older man, admiring his toned body and friendly smile, mesmerised by the expressions on his face when he told a story at the dinner table. Sometimes, he thought he could feel Harry’s eyes on him but he never turned to check, afraid he’d blush or do something equally embarrassing. 

Because Louis had come to the conclusion that he had a tiny, _minuscule_ crush on his sister’s boyfriend. Not that he would ever act on it or anything! He would never do that to his sister. Besides which, Harry wouldn’t be interested in a teenager. He was thankful for school and the wedding bustle that helped keep his mind from straying to places they oughtn’t stray to.

“Louis, do you know who you’re bringing with you to the wedding yet?” Jay asked as he walked into the kitchen the next morning. 

“Um…no, not yet,” he answered, texting Liam to come and pick him up. 

“Well, just let me know if you’re not bringing anyone so I can put someone else at your table, yeah?” 

“Sure thing, Mum,” Louis nodded, taking a seat next to Dan and smiling gratefully when his future step-dad passed him a cup of tea.

He turned his head towards the door when he heard his sister’s giggles, mingled in with a deep voice telling, what seemed to be, an entertaining story.

Louis couldn’t help the small flare of jealousy that went through him when he saw Katie holding Harry’s hand as they walked into the kitchen. It was ridiculous! He had no right to be jealous of her holding her boyfriend’s hand!

Still, a part of him couldn’t help but note that Harry looked particularly handsome this morning. His hair was sleep-tousled and hanging loose, falling to just above his shoulders. Louis would have dearly loved to run his fingers through those…  
He stopped his track of thought before it got away from him and focused on what his sister was saying.

“Good morning everyone!” Katie chirped, clearly in a good mood. 

Dan answered just as happily but Louis ignored her greeting in favour of texting Liam again. He suddenly didn’t think staying in the house a moment longer than necessary was a good idea. Her and Harry were now answering questions from his mum about whether they had gotten a good night’s sleep.

Louis scoffed under his breath. He doubted Harry had even gone to sleep in the guest room. He was glad Katie’s room was down the corridor from his, far enough away that he wouldn’t hear any _sounds_. He didn’t think he could handle that!

Louis was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Harry had let go of Katie’s hand and was now pulling out a chair at the table, next to him. He jumped when the older man sat down, looking up only to meet a concerned green gaze.

“You okay?” Harry asked, soft enough that no one else but Louis could hear. 

Louis nodded, forcing himself to smile. Harry frowned, apparently being able to read Louis’ face better than the rest of his family.

“Louis,” his tone contained a note of something Louis couldn’t quite place.

“Yeah, I’m great! Just waiting for my friend to-” Louis began but cut off with a curse as he read the latest text on his phone.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked, automatically leaning towards him as Dan glanced over.

“Liam’s car broke down. He’s catching the bus to school today,” Louis explained with a sigh, “Looks like I’ll have to walk.”

Katie chose that moment to walk over and drape her arms around Harry’s shoulders. Louis felt his stomach turn and he glanced away quickly, grabbing his school bag and standing up, ignoring Dan’s look of surprise.

“I’m gonna head off. Don’t want to be late,” he mumbled.

“Have something to eat first, love,” Jay tried, as she did every morning.

Louis shook his head. If he had had any form of an appetite before, seeing his sister and Harry making lovesick eyes at each other would definitely have put him off.

“I’ll grab something from the cafeteria,” he said to pacify her but he didn’t manage to take more than one step away from the table when Harry’s hand closed around his wrist, keeping him in place. 

A sudden warmth spread through him from the point of contact and he nearly shivered, catching himself at the last minute. He glanced over at Harry, who was looking at Katie, even as his hand continued to send waves of warmth cascading over Louis. Harry didn’t feel it then. 

“It’s not healthy to skip breakfast. Stay. I’ll drive you to school after,” Harry glanced up at him quickly before dropping his gaze.

“No, don’t worry about it. I can-”

“Stay, Lou,” Harry’s voice was firm despite him not looking at Louis and the hand on his arm tightened ever so slightly. 

It was just a grounding pressure, one he could have easily moved away from but Louis found himself not wanting to. He sighed and sat back down at the table, looking away when Katie sat down in Harry’s lap and Harry let go of him to hold her. Could she not use a chair like a normal human being? He felt guilty the moment he thought it. If anyone had the right to sit on Harry’s lap, it was her.

Jay was smiling at them as she placed an assortment of cereals in front of Louis, who immediately went for the least nutritional of the bunch. He carefully poured the milk over it and kept his focus on his Coco Pops, even when he heard Harry shift Katie from his lap to the seat beside him, ignoring her protests.

“Name _one_ healthy thing about that, Louis,” Harry remarked. Louis rolled his eyes. Was Harry some sort of health freak?

“Well, it contains cocoa, which comes from a plant. That technically makes it a vegetable, which basically means this is a tastier alternative to salad,” he answered, smirking and scooping up another spoonful as Harry gaped at him.

“That’s not…how…what kind of a…?” 

“Not everyone drinks kale smoothies like you, babe,” Katie commented lightly and now it was Louis’ turn to gape at the curly-haired man.

“What the fuck is a _kale_?”

Katie giggled at the offended look on Harry’s face.

“Kale is an _actual_ vegetable. A type of cabbage. It’s good for you!” Harry defended.

Louis hummed noncommittally.  
“I’ll let you know if I ever get the urge to chomp on some demented cabbage.”

“Kale is delicious!” Harry protested as everyone laughed. 

Louis reached over to pat one of his hands in sympathy.

“Whatever you say, love,” he grinned before he realised the term of endearment he had used and dropped his gaze back to the cereal, finishing off his last spoonful. 

Thankfully, Katie didn’t notice, too busy talking to Jay. Not that people didn’t say ‘love’ all the time in their part of the country but it seemed somehow wrong to use it when he actually _did_ have a crush on the guy.

“Ready to go?” Harry’s fingers brushed against his arm lightly, sending that same pulse of warmth rushing through him. He ignored it and stood up with a nod.

“Hurry back, babe”, Katie called out to Harry while Jay reminded Louis to grab his lunch money. 

Harry placed a hand against Louis’ lower back as he leant over and opened the passenger side door, seemingly oblivious to how Louis’ skin was burning up under his touch.

“Straight to school then?” Harry asked, once he’d buckled his seatbelt.

“Are you offering to help me skive off?” Louis asked with a smirk.

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise for a second before he chuckled.  
“It wouldn’t be very adult-like of me to offer such a thing now, would it?”

“Well, you could be the fun parent. You know, because you’re _old_ ”, Louis teased.

Harry made a face. “I’m only, like, five years older than you!”

“Good to know your brain hasn’t turned to mush in your old age,” Louis replied, bursting into laughter when Harry gave him a petulant look and poked out his tongue.

“Right. If I was ever going to offer to help you get out of school, it’s completely off the table now,” Harry joked, grinning when Louis pouted, “Ready to get going then?”

Louis nodded, trying to blow his fringe out of the way and blinking when Harry reached over and pushed it back, away from his eyes. Louis’ breath caught in his throat and Harry’s hand suddenly froze as he realised what he was doing. 

“Sorry, I…” Harry began, moving his hand back but Louis grabbed it, giving it a soft squeeze.

“No, it’s fine. Thanks,” he murmured before letting go and clearing his throat. 

Why the fuck had he done that?

“To school then,” Harry said, his voice sounding slightly raspier than it had a second ago. 

He started the car’s engine and reached over to adjust the heater.

“Should I fear for my life with your driving?” Louis joked just to hear Harry’s laugh and to cut the slightly awkward air in the car. 

“That’s rich coming from someone who doesn’t have their licence yet,” Harry grinned back, “Your Mum says you’re just too lazy to do the test.”

Louis smirked. 

“Maybe. But why would I need a licence when I have you to do my every bidding, Curly?”

He bit his lip when he realised that statement might have sounded a bit _too_ flirtatious. Which wasn’t what he had intended. At all. Louis was _not_ trying to flirt with his sister’s boyfriend!

Harry just chuckled and shifted the car into drive, murmuring a soft, “Why indeed.”

Louis looked out the window and smiled to himself as Harry pulled away from the kerb, turning on the radio to the Top 40 Hits. Neither of them noticed that Dan had watched their interaction through the kitchen window and was now wearing a thoughtful frown.

_______________________________________________

Louis had been feeling irritable all day at school. He wasn’t sure why but he had been short-tempered with Liam, hit Grimshaw a tad too hard during dodgeball and even snapped at Niall. That was what had finally caused Liam to corner him by the lockers.

“What the fuck is your problem today, Tommo?” he growled, shoving Louis against the metal surface. 

Not hard enough to hurt but still.

“What the fuck is yours?” he snapped back, “Just leave me alone! I’m not in the mood to talk”.

“Well, you’re clearly in _a_ mood!” Liam hissed, “All Niall did was ask for a bite of your granola bar and you nearly slapped him!”

“Li,” Niall’s voice, usually brash and loud was surprisingly subdued when he grabbed his boyfriend’s arm. “There’s obviously something bothering him. Don’t get mad.”

Louis watched as Liam sighed and observed the way he almost melted against Niall’s hold. 

“Yeah, no. You’re right. Sorry about that, Louis,” he said, giving Louis an apologetic look. 

Louis shook his head and moved towards them for a hug that they both immediately gathered him in.

“No, _I’m_ sorry,” he murmured against Liam’s shoulder, one arm thrown over Niall. “I’ve just been feeling off all day. It wasn’t anything against you, Nialler.”

“Don’t let it happen again or my boyfriend might kill you,” Niall said mock seriously and at Louis’ huff of, “I don’t doubt it,” he laughed and pulled him into a tighter hug.

“Wanna talk about whatever it is that’s got you so worked up?” Liam asked after a moment and Niall tilted his head at Louis, encouragingly.

Louis worried his teeth between his lips. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to tell his friends and ask them how to get over a stupid crush but on the other hand, he was terrified that voicing it out loud would only make it more real. He had always been a fan of ignoring his problems so that’s what he did now, shaking his head and making up an excuse.

“It’s nothing really. Just a bit worried about who I can ask to be my plus one for Mum’s wedding. She keeps asking me about it.”

“You could just go without a date,” Liam pointed out.

“I know but then Mum might put someone annoying at our table instead. Like Eleanor! She’s Mum’s best friend’s kid and I swear the first thing she told me when she found out I was gay was, “There go my hopes of having Eleanor as my daughter-in-law one day”. _That’s_ how much she tried to set us up!”

Liam laughed, squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.  
“I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“What about that new guy who’s in our Art class?” Niall asked, “You know, Zen or something? Mrs.McKenzie spent ten minutes gushing about his ‘perfect portrayal’ of the Eiffel Tower. Of course, she saw mine right before that so the bar wasn’t set very high.”

Liam wrapped his arms around Niall’s waist, pressing a kiss against his cheek.  
“Art might not be your forte but I’d like to see this Zen guy try and beat you in Music. You’re a prodigy at it, love. The next Mozart!”

Niall blushed but grinned up at Liam while Louis raked his brains to try and place the guy they were talking about.

“Oh! _Zayn_! That was his name,” Niall exclaimed, “I just remembered.”

“Was he the guy with the amazing cheekbones? And the blonde highlight through his hair?”

“That’s the one!” Niall nodded, “He’s fucking fit.”

“Not as fit as you though, Li,” he added when his boyfriend’s arms tightened around him. Louis rolled his eyes.

“You two are soulmates for fuck’s sake, Payno! Niall’s not gonna leave you for anyone,” he pointed out.

Liam ignored him in favour of pulling Niall into a passionate kiss and Louis took that as his cue to leave. 

The problem was, the person Louis wanted to take as his wedding date was already going with someone else. He thought, not for the first time this week, how incredibly lucky Katie was to have Harry.

He sighed and pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It was just a stupid crush. He’d get over it soon enough.

_______________________________________________

Louis couldn’t hide his surprise when he walked out of school that day and saw Harry standing there, leaning against his car. He couldn’t quite stop the grin from forming on his face either, as he jogged towards the older man. 

“What are you doing here? I could’ve walked,” he said, coming to a stop in front of him. 

Harry grinned and reached over to push Louis’ fringe out of his eyes again. Louis let him, enjoying the faint traces of warmth that lingered from the touch.

“Well, Katie and Jay are at the wedding boutique place, doing final adjustments to their outfits and they told me they’d be late so I thought we could surprise them by cooking dinner?”

It didn’t really explain why he was there but Louis nodded anyway.

“Although, um, you should probably know that I’m a danger in the kitchen. I nearly set the cat on fire once,” Louis said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have a cat.”

“And that’s why.”

Harry laughed, opening the passenger door for Louis before getting into the driver’s seat himself. He glanced over at the boy in the passenger seat and wondered why he looked so _right_ there. As if his place was by Harry’s side.

He pulled out of the parking spot, watching Louis out of the corner of his eyes as the younger boy regaled him with stories about school.

“So,” Louis chirped once he’d finished his story on how Niall had eaten most of Liam’s lunch because the guy was just too charmed by the blonde to stop him, “What’s on the menu for dinner?”

“I was thinking about making chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in parma ham and maybe a red velvet cake for dessert?” Harry voiced as they merged with the traffic, “Chicken’s my specialty!”

Louis’ stomach growled.  
“My stomach likes that idea,” he stated, smiling when Harry laughed again.

“Great! Then we’ll have to do a bit of shopping. Where’s the nearest grocery store?”

Louis directed him to the Tesco that was just a few blocks away from school. They went inside, Harry grabbing a shopping trolley. It didn’t take them long to buy all the essential items for their dinner but then, Louis convinced Harry to buy strawberry donuts (“They have so many calories, Lou!” “You must be so much fun at parties, Curly!”) and Harry decided Louis _had_ to try kale.

“Hazza, they are green leaves. Green leaves are evil and not to be trusted,” Louis stated, not noticing the nickname he’d accidentally let slip. 

Harry just grinned, his dimples coming out.

“But green things are lovely, Lou!” he protested, putting the kale into the shopping basket despite Louis’ disgruntled growls.

“The only green thing I haven’t hated on sight are your eyes,” Louis remarked. 

Harry’s breath hitched a bit but he cleared his throat to jokingly say, “Is that meant to be a compliment, Tomlinson?”

“I’d take it because it’s the closest you’re going to get,” Louis smirked back before grabbing two chocolate bars to “counteract the disgusting leaves!”

Harry would have liked to say he stayed firm and unwavering in his decision to shop for healthy items but the truth of the matter was, all it took was Louis blinking up at him and saying, “Please?” for him to relent to whatever the younger boy wanted. And what Louis wanted was apparently every possible junk food in the store! They finally managed to get to the checkout but only because their trolley was too full to add anything else.

“Shit! I’ll get Mum to pay you back,” Louis said as the cashier scanned each of their items. 

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I can cover it just fine,” Harry replied, absently brushing a hand over Louis’ short hair.

Louis’ eyes widened when he saw Harry’s wallet, which had about fifteen different credit cards.

“Fuck, just how rich are you?” he asked before realising that might be considered a rude question. 

Harry though, didn’t seem to mind too much because he just laughed and said, “Rich enough to buy a trolley full of food that’ll probably send me to an early grave”.

Louis rolled his eyes and mock whispered to the girl who was working the cash register, “I’m still working on him. He struggles with handling.”

The girl giggled and Louis grinned, pleased with his joke. 

Harry reached over and pinched his hip before casually saying, “We both know who does the handling around here, baby.”

The cashier tried to hide her laughter as Louis practically choked on his spit, shooting a glare at Harry, who was smiling innocently. Well, fuck him if he thought Louis was going to let him win this!

“Now, now darling,” Louis smirked, feeling Harry’s eyes on him, both challenging and curious, “You have to behave if you want to try those fluffy pink handcuffs on me tonight.”

The girl’s face had gone red, whether from trying to contain her laughter or from mortification at what she thought she was witnessing, he couldn’t tell. He turned towards Harry, expecting him to be smirking with the next retort ready on his tongue but he was met with the sight of the older man staring at him. Harry’s eyes were slightly darker than their normal shade of green and they were looking at Louis as if…as if he were desirable. Harry slowly licked his lips and Louis felt something hot pool in his stomach at the sight. He took half a step forward and Harry’s eyes only got darker but then the cashier cleared her throat and the moment was broken.

Louis kept his gaze on the floor as Harry paid for the groceries and then tagged along behind him when Harry insisted he could carry the bags without Louis’ help. 

There were a few minutes of tense silence in the car on the way back before Harry cleared his throat and asked him about his taste in music. By the time they got back home, they were bantering with each other again over how “Just because you like bands that no one’s heard of, it doesn’t make you a hipster Curly!”

Harry gently bumped his shoulder against Louis’ when they entered the house.

“Go and get changed into something more comfortable than your school uniform and then meet me in the kitchen so we can begin our culinary masterpiece,” Harry told him and Louis only paused to say, “I call dibs on being food taster”, before running up the stairs, Harry’s laughter echoing behind him.

 

It was only when he was getting changed that he remembered what had happened at the grocery store. What even was that? They were just fooling around, right? It wasn’t flirting…not really. Was it?

Louis was quiet when he returned to the kitchen, hoisting himself up onto a counter as he watched Harry chop up the vegetables. Harry picked up on his sad mood at once, turning to give him a quizzical look.

“Lou? Something wrong?” he asked.

Louis shook his head, reaching for a spare knife so he could help but Harry caught his hand, the familiar warmth running through him at the touch. He let out a shaky breath, unable to protest when Harry moved closer, standing between his legs.

“Louis, please tell me. What’s wrong?”

Louis bit his lip and glanced up, seeing only concern in those green eyes. 

He looked down at the counter as he spoke, voice almost a whisper, “Do you ever feel…do you ever get this strange feeling when we’re near each other?”

“Strange feeling?” Harry’s voice sounded strained when he asked.

Louis gave a short nod. “Yeah, like…I can’t explain it. I just feel _something_. I mean, obviously you don’t. I’m just trying to figure out if I need to go see the doctor or if-”

He stopped talking when he felt Harry’s hand tilt his chin up, forcing him to meet his gaze. His stormy gaze was similar to the one he wore at the grocery store.

“You’re not crazy. I feel it too,” Harry whispered before his lips were on Louis’, desperate with need. 

Louis kissed back just as fervently, all thoughts that didn’t have to do with the feel of Harry’s plush lips against his or the feel of his strong arms as they wrapped around his waist, flying out of his head.

He moaned softly into Harry’s mouth and the older man let out a deep growl that made Louis shudder with need. One of Harry’s hands dipped under Louis’ shirt and splayed across the naked skin of his back, pulling him closer to Harry’s warm body. Louis’ fingers found their way into his curly hair, pulling at the stands to make Harry’s mouth part in a beautiful groan.

“Lou,” he panted, pulling back for just a second to make sure Louis was okay before pressing closer, lips claiming his again. Everywhere Harry touched felt as if it were being coated in rays of sunlight, warm but not too hot, enticing him to give more, seek more.

Harry was just as eager, knowing exactly what Louis wanted without him having to use words. His lips moved across Louis’ jaw and down his neck, growling with approval when Louis tilted his head back to give Harry better access to the soft skin. Louis’ fingers traced Harry’s face, stroking at the dip of skin where his dimples normally appeared and finding that yes- his skin _was_ as soft as it looked.

“Harry,” Louis moaned as the older man suckled a mark into the dip between his neck and collarbone. 

It was almost like Harry couldn’t help it, the need to mark the beautiful boy in his arms. Louis let him suck on the tender skin for a moment before he pulled him back up towards his mouth and they came together again in a searing kiss that had Louis seeing stars. Fuck! He’d kissed guys before but none of them had even come _close_ to making him feel this way.

Harry nipped at the corners of his mouth, sucked his bottom lip gently, made him open up for his tongue with a moan of longing. Louis knew there was something wrong with doing this, a reason he had held back for so long but he couldn’t remember what it was when Harry’s tongue was battling with his, the cold silver of his piercing leaving a metallic tinge in Louis’ mouth, possessing it as if to leave a permanent reminder of its presence. 

One of Louis’ hands wandered lower down Harry’s torso, brushing over the large bulge in his pants and Harry moaned, arching his hips into the touch. Louis was just about to start palming him in earnest when the sound of the front door opening caused both of them to spring back and away from each other.

“Louis? Harry? Are you here, lads?” Dan’s voice called out.

Shit! They’d forgotten that he’d get home from work so soon!

Louis glanced at Harry, whose eyes were blown wide with desire and whose hair was messed up from having had Louis’ hands in it. The sight alone made the tightening in his pants get worse. He knew from the way Harry was staring at him, as if he wanted to devour him, that he didn’t look much better. Long story short, neither of them could get caught by Dan right now.

Louis pulled himself together enough to point towards the stairs. Harry nodded, moving forward to place an arm around Louis’ waist in order to help him get down quietly from the counter.

They tiptoed out of the kitchen and up the stairs, closing the door to Louis’ room just as they heard Dan enter the kitchen, calling for them.

Louis fell onto the bed, face-forward, the guilt finally making an appearance. Harry’s warm hand settled between his shoulder blades, rubbing gently to try and soothe him but all it did was manage to get him more worked up.

“Louis,” Harry began but Louis turned towards him, clambering into his lap as the tears fell. 

He hid his face in the crook of the older man’s neck and tried not to think about how nice and comforting Harry’s arms felt as they wrapped around him, keeping him close as he sobbed.

“I can’t…we can’t… _Katie_ …” Louis sobbed out and Harry nodded, holding him tighter. 

‘I know,” he finally said, his voice sounding pained. “We shouldn’t have…”

“We _can’t_!” Louis almost shouted, on the verge of being hysterical, “You’re Katie’s…my _sister’s_ boyfriend. We can’t-”

Harry shushed him quietly and pressed Louis’ face against his chest, letting the younger boy sob while his shirt muffled the cries. Harry was crying too, Louis could tell, his face resting on top of Louis’ hair.

“You’re right,” Harry finally said, pulling back to see Louis’ tear-stained face. 

He let out a pained whine before wiping away the remaining tears with his hand, moving it away before Louis could lean into the touch. “We can’t do that again. I..I don’t know what came over me down there.”

Louis nodded, even as his chest clenched at the thought of never being able to kiss Harry again. 

“Yeah,” he said, his voice choked, “Neither. I…should we…can we pretend that never happened?”

Harry nodded, his curls bouncing.  
“Yes. Yeah, we…nothing happened. It was just a mistake,” he replied and that was what Louis had wanted to hear but it didn’t stop the pain that laced through him. 

Could you possibly get heartbroken over a guy you’d kissed once in your life? It sure felt like it!

“A mistake,” Louis echoed dully, shifting onto the bed when Harry gently nudged him off his lap. 

Harry nodded again and stood up. 

“I’m going to go greet Dan,” he said, straightening his clothes and hair, “And finish making dinner. Are you…will you come down soon?”

“Soon,” Louis nodded, watching as Harry walked towards the door.

“Harry?”

The older man paused, turning back to gaze at him, a mixture of conflicting emotions flashing through his eyes.

“You love her, right? My sister?” Louis knew he was setting himself up for pain but…well. He still wanted to know.

Harry bit his lip and looked away then, a pregnant pause filling the room before his voice floated back to Louis.

“Yeah.”  
It was a simple word so really, it shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. 

Harry half turned back as if he wanted to say something else but then he dropped his gaze and shook his head. Louis stayed silent as Harry slipped out the door.

That was that, Louis thought. Harry loved Katie and she loved Harry and that was just the way things were meant to be. His tears didn’t seem to care though and it was another hour before he finally managed to go down and greet Dan. 

The rest of the evening was a giant act of pretending to be fine and laughing at things he hardly cared about; of turning away discreetly whenever he saw Katie whispering to Harry and making jokes so his parents didn’t suspect anything was wrong. As he made his way to bed that night, exhausted by the act he had kept up all evening, he noticed the wall partition between his room and Harry’s was completely closed for the first time since the man had arrived.

_______________________________________________

 

Harry didn’t offer to drive him to school the next day, which was understandable. Or at least, that’s what Louis told himself when he walked out the door and Harry didn’t try to stop him.

Maybe that was because Katie had been giggling in his ear over who knew what? Louis had felt his hands clench into fists under the table and Harry had shot him a quick, worried look. That was when Louis had gotten up and grabbed his bag, telling his Mum that he was going to walk to school and stopping only to grab a granola bar as a substitute for breakfast. Harry had looked as if he were about to protest then but something in Louis’ face must have made him bite his tongue.

There was no way Louis could keep himself calm if he had to sit through breakfast with Katie and Harry acting like a loved up couple. The feeling in his gut was equal parts guilt and anger because really, he had no right to be jealous of his sister…except he was and he didn’t like it.

It didn’t help that he couldn’t get the memory of being kissed by Harry out of his head. ‘Worst Brother of the Year’ award went to him by a mile!

It was only halfway to school that he realised he’d forgotten to bring his lunch money. Ah well. There was no time to go back to get it. This day was just shaping out to be brilliant!

____________________________________________

 

Niall and Liam kept throwing him worried looks in class but when they asked him about it, he just blew them off. Eventually, during the morning break, Niall dragged him out to the field and gave him a football, telling him to work off his anger or frustration or whatever it was he was holding onto.

Surprisingly, it helped. Liam joined them and then a few of the guys from the school football team.

“We need all the practice we can get before the next match!” Stan grinned and soon enough, they were having a proper game. 

It was the most fun Louis had had in a while and by the time they’d trooped into the locker rooms to get changed back into their school uniforms, Louis’ mind was full of strategies for their upcoming match against a rival football team. 

 

He may not have thought about Harry at all for the rest of the day (okay, that was a lie but he wouldn’t have dwelled on it!) if he hadn’t gotten a note during Maths, asking him to go to the school office.

“Louis Tomlinson?” the receptionist asked and, when he nodded, she handed him a paper lunch bag. “One of your family members dropped this off for you. Said you’d forgotten it”.

“Thanks,” Louis murmured, figuring it was probably his Mum. 

He wasn’t hungry though, the guilt that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his stomach not allowing him to eat anything. He decided to throw it out the moment he was out of sight of the office but, as he grabbed the bag, he saw a note stuck on it in an unfamiliar hand. He knew who it was, regardless.

All it said was- _‘Please eat’_ \- and it was pathetic really that Louis couldn’t even be arsed to disobey the soft command. In a way, he was glad he hadn’t thrown the sandwiches away. They tasted pretty damn good! He just wasn’t sure how much of it had to do with the actual taste and how much had to do with the knowledge that Harry had made it for him. Louis settled for not thinking about it.

He also didn’t think about how Harry had made it just the way he liked, a skill no one but his Mum possessed.

_________________________________________________

It was just his luck that as he turned the corner towards his History class, the last class of the day, he ran headfirst into someone.

“Shit! Sorry man! Are you alright?” a voice with a distinct Bradford accent asked and Louis glanced up to see none other than Zayn.

“I’m fine!” he chirped, putting on a bright smile and bending down to pick up the few books that had fallen to the ground. Zayn helped him. 

“My name’s Louis. We have Art together, I think?”

“Yeah,” Zayn nodded, “I’m Zayn. I noticed you in class.”

“Oh?” Louis raised an eyebrow, smirking. 

_This_ was flirting. This, he could do. Zayn laughed.

“Well, you must know you’re fit as fuck,” he said with a wink and Louis grinned, ignoring the image his mind conjured up of a curly haired man. 

“If you’re trying to get into my pants, you’re already halfway there,” Louis remarked, teasingly and Zayn’s grin grew wider.

“Not that I’d ever object to sleeping with you but how about we start with dinner first?” Zayn asked.

Louis forced himself to maintain his carefree smile, ignoring the voice in his head that urged him to say no. The voice sounded a lot like Harry.

Which was why Louis opened his mouth and said, “It’s a date!”

_______________________________________________

 

It wasn’t that Louis was actively _avoiding_ his house but…well, he was actively avoiding his house. This was the third night in a row he had slept over at Liam’s and his friend was an actual saint for not complaining or getting annoyed about it.

Still, there was only so much he could take, which was why, after realising Louis had no immediate plans to move back into his own house, Liam decided to invite Niall over.

Louis had never felt more like a third-wheel as he sat on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and tried to ignore his friends making out on the other end. They were keeping it tame, really.

Jay and Dan were running around like headless chickens, freaking out over tiny wedding details no one but them noticed. And his Mum, especially, seemed to take genuine pleasure in torturing Louis by making him choose between shades of beige and…beige. Seriously. They were the same _exact_ fucking colour!

This was the reason he had cited when Liam asked him why he was moving into his guest room on a semi-permanent basis until “the wedding’s over”.

The real reason, of course, was Harry. 

Harry, with his gorgeous curls and green eyes; Harry, with his concerned gazes and gentle manner; Harry, with his large hands and plush lips and- _fucking hell!_

He had been trying his damned hardest to not think about that!

“So,” Niall’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, making him focus on the blonde, “Have you asked Zayn to be your plus one to the wedding yet?”

Louis shook his head, thinking about the raven-haired boy.

“No, but we’re meeting up for dinner tomorrow at that new Italian restaurant everyone’s been raving on about.”

“You mean you’re going on a proper _date_?” Niall’s excited shout reminded Louis why he hadn’t told his friends about it.

“Well…it’s not really a date. Just, like, hanging out a bit, you know?”

“In an _Italian_ restaurant!” Niall exclaimed as if this were of particular importance, “Italy’s like, the city of love!”

“Um, strictly speaking, Italy’s a country. I think you’re thinking of Paris?” Liam pointed out but, the moment Niall started to frown, he hastily tacked on, “But Italians are romantics too! And a restaurant is the ideal first date location.”

Louis scowled at him and mouthed, “Traitor” but Liam didn’t seem to care, for Niall had pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“See?” Niall continued once he’d given his soulmate his silent thanks, “It _is_ a date. Is he picking you up?”

“Yeah,” Louis mumbled before his eyes widened, “Fuck! I gave him my house’s address! I’m going to have to go home!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Niall asked, curious as ever.

“Just…you know. I don’t want my family embarrassing me or anything.”  
The excuse sounded weak, even to Louis’ ears.

Niall snorted out a laugh.  
“Yeah, right. Since when have you been concerned about your family embarrassing you? You’re planning on spending your 18th birthday with them instead of getting wasted like normal teenagers!”

“Hey! Family’s important!” Louis automatically defended before realising this wasn’t helping his current case, “But that doesn’t mean I want them to interrogate Zayn”.

“Your Mum’s pretty cool about things like that though, isn’t she?” Liam asked and Louis sighed, knowing his excuses were futile.

“Yeah but my sister’s a menace,” he settled for saying before getting up from the sofa. “Hope you don’t mind lads, but I’m knackered! Think I’m gonna turn in for the night.”

He pretended not to notice the concerned looks Liam and Niall exchanged as they bid him a good night’s sleep.

____________________________________________________

 

Louis hadn’t planned on telling his family about his “not date” with Zayn but his mum and sister had a way of just _knowing_.

Or maybe the fact that he had spent half an hour in the bathroom fixing his hair with gel, despite him actually hating how the substance felt in his locks, had given it away. 

“Who’s your date then?” Katie stopped him on the stairs before he could make a swift exit. 

Harry, who had been sitting in front of the TV, whipped his head around to stare at him. Louis kept his eyes on Katie as he answered, even though a part of him wanted to see what Harry thought of his appearance.

“I have no idea what you’re talk-” 

Of bloody course his phone chose that moment to beep with a message from Zayn saying: _I’m out front. You ready?_

Katie zoned in on it at once.

“Zayn? Who’s Zayn and how come I haven’t heard of him before?” she demanded.

Louis winced at the way Harry’s eyes were now boring into him.

“Zayn? Zayn who?” Jay’s head popped around the corner and, despite the fact she was holding three different colour palettes, her gaze was completely focused on her son.

“Do we know a Zayn?” Dan asked, appearing behind Jay.

“I don’t think so,” Jay replied.

“So, who is it?” Katie finished and Louis sighed.

Sometimes, he hated the fact that his family were close enough to pry into each other’s businesses with no sense of guilt or remorse.

“He’s just a friend I’m going out to dinner with.”

“That sounds like more than just a friend, Louis,” Jay raised an eyebrow at him, “Where exactly is this friend of yours taking you?”

“An Italian place, okay? Please don’t make a big deal out of this,” he begged.

Katie chuckled, an evil glint in her eye.

“Oh, little brother. It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

Before he could stop her, she was rushing out of the front door towards an, undoubtedly surprised, Zayn.

“I have to make sure he’s good enough for you!” she shouted back and Louis wished the floor would just swallow him up before he was humiliated any further.

“Mum!” he whined but Jay just grinned at him and wished him a fun night. 

“You’ll be okay, kiddo!” Dan comforted him before following his fiancé back into the kitchen for more wedding-related stress.

Louis sighed and took a step towards the door. It was only when a warm hand closed around his forearm that he realised Harry had moved from his position on the sofa and was now standing in front of him, blocking his way to the exit.

“You look…” Harry cleared his throat before continuing, “Good.”

“Are you saying I usually look like shit, Harold?” Louis smirked back before remembering that he was supposed to be avoiding Harry and definitely _not_ engaging him in borderline flirtatious conversations.

Harry’s eyes darkened slightly as they took in Louis from head to toe.

“No,” his voice was deeper than before when he answered, “You always look perfect.”

And…yeah. He had to stop this conversation before it got any more confusing.

“Right. Well, thanks. I’ve got to go and rescue Zayn from your girlfriend now.”

Louis was only slightly surprised when, instead of letting him go, Harry’s arm tightened.

“How old is he?” Harry asked, his unwavering gaze fixed on Louis’ face.

“Eighteen,” Louis answered with a frown, wanting to pull away from Harry’s touch and yet, wanting to savour it as well.

“He’s too old for you,” Harry stated, gruffly.  
And…what?

“Not that it’s any of your fucking business but I turn 18 in eight days!” Louis hissed, yanking his arm away from Harry, who looked surprised to see that he had been holding onto the younger boy, “And I can go out with whoever the fuck I want! You, of all people, get no say in it!”

Louis knew most of his anger had to do with the fact that Harry was acting as if he cared for him now. Acting as if he were jealous when he had no right to be!

Harry though, looked as if he had been slapped. He didn’t try to stop Louis when the boy moved past him but just as Louis got to the door, he heard Harry call out his name.

The sound was hesitant, as if the older man wasn’t sure if he had the right to speak to Louis anymore. Against his better judgement, he found himself turning around.

Harry, who was staring back at him, looked conflicted, his hands fisted at his sides and his lips caught between his own teeth. 

“What?” Louis snapped, sounding harsher than he meant to because the sight of Harry was just so fucking _distracting_! 

Suddenly, Harry seemed to deflate. 

His voice was a whisper as he said, “Just…take care, alright?”

Louis gave him a short nod and then, before he could do something idiotic like pull the older man into a hug and apologise for all the things he had said, he walked out of the house, towards his date.

_______________________________________________

 

It really wasn’t fair, in Louis’ opinion. He had been buzzing about spending the evening with Zayn but sitting at their reserved table now, all he could think about was the look on Harry’s face when he’d told him to take care.

He thought it would have been better if Harry had gotten angry and yelled back or maybe, if he had just apologised for his statement about Zayn being ‘too old’. Shit, Louis would have even preferred to see blank indifference on his face than the look of utter defeat the older man had worn. As if he had lost something and couldn’t get it back.

“ _Louis_!” Zayn’s annoyed tone brought him back to the present.

“Huh?” he blinked and tried to stay focused on the gorgeous boy in front of him, who was both funny and interesting to talk to. 

Well, he didn’t have tattoos…or a tongue piercing…or green eyes and a slow, drawling voice but that wasn’t the point! Zayn was amazing! Perfect! Lovely! He just wasn’t Harry.

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” the tanned boy muttered and, just as Louis was about to apologise for zoning out _again_ , Zayn leant over the table, grabbed the collar of Louis’ shirt and planted a kiss on his lips.

It was a soft kiss but one that contained no passion or spark. Louis couldn’t help but compare it with the way Harry’s lips had felt, the way his own body had responded to it. Zayn kept it short, pulling away after a few seconds and giving Louis a sad smile.

“Uh…that was…um…” Louis stammered but, much to his relief, the other boy said, “It’s not going to work, is it? That just felt too platonic.”

Louis sighed and nodded his head in agreement. There was no chemistry between them.

“I’m sorry,” he stated, sincerely.

“What for?” Zayn asked, sounding surprised, “It’s not your fault we aren’t soulmates. You know the stats for finding our soulmates at this age, right? It’s incredibly rare”.

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Louis let out another sigh, “I just wish I could meet mine sooner rather than later.”

He wished he could find the person he was destined to love, the person who would chase away all thoughts of green eyes and curly hair.

“Don’t we all?” Zayn grinned, “But hey! At least we know it’ll happen eventually. I’ve never heard of anyone not finding their soulmate.”

“What if we end up being one of those people who run into their other halves when they’re on their deathbed or something?”

“Then we’ll die knowing what true love feels like,” Zayn answered with an unconcerned shrug, “It’ll happen when it happens. More importantly, now that we’re no longer on a date, can we leave this pretentious restaurant and get some fish and chips instead?”

“Zayn,” Louis grinned, his eyes lighting up, “I think this is the start of a very, very beautiful friendship.”

_______________________________________________

 

Hanging with Zayn had left him in a good mood so, instead of cockblocking Liam and Niall again, he decided to come back home for the night.

Louis took out his key and was about to put it in the lock when the front door opened. 

“What…?” he trailed off as he saw steely green eyes staring at him and then past him, to where Zayn’s car had just driven off.

“He didn’t wait to make sure you got inside safely?” Harry asked, the words coming out as more of a growl.

Louis firmly refused to acknowledge any effect it had on his body.

“I’m not some kind of damsel in distress, Harold,” Louis answered, his anger returning, “I can make it up the drive on my own.”

He pushed past Harry but before he could take more than a couple of steps, he heard the door close behind him and then, there was a hand on his shoulder, forcefully turning him around and pushing him against the nearest wall.

“You deserve _better_!” Harry growled, his warm breath hitting Louis’ face, “You deserve so much more, Lou.”

And then, before Louis could even try to put together a response, Harry let go of him and walked up the stairs towards the guest room.

Louis stood there in the dark for a few more minutes, trying to understand what Harry’s words had meant. Eventually, he gave up and trudged up to his own room.

Dan shut the door of his bedroom, thinking over the conversation he had unintentionally overheard and started to put the pieces together in his head. He wouldn’t tell Jay or Katie just yet. Not until he was certain.  
For now, he would just quietly observe Louis and Harry.

___________________________________________________

Louis caught his Mum alone in the kitchen the next day and took that as an opportunity to tell her about his and Zayn’s recent arrangement.

“So I’ve got a plus one for the wedding”, he casually stated, reaching for a can of Pepsi from the fridge.

Jay gave him a wide, knowing smile. 

“Oh? Anyone I’ve heard of recently?” she asked, slyly.

Louis shook his head fondly, taking a sip of his drink.

“You’re not subtle, you know that?” he told her, lips quirking up into a smile when she laughed.

“So it _is_ Zayn then?” she confirmed and Louis nodded.

Sure, they were going as friends but no one needed to know that. 

“Oooh la la! Little brother’s got himself a boyfriend!” Katie cooed as she walked into the kitchen, having heard the tail end of the conversation.

Before Louis could respond to her teasing, there was a crash from the living room. A second later, Harry was in the kitchen, holding a broken glass in one hand.

“Sorry,” he winced, shooting Jay an apologetic look, “It slipped from my hands and-”

“Not to worry, love,” Jay smiled at him as he walked towards the bin to throw away the remnants of glass.

“He’s a bit of a klutz,” Katie laughed. 

Louis glanced over at him but Harry’s gaze was firmly on the floor.

“So, back to this boyfriend of yours-” Katie continued and no one else seemed to notice but Louis saw Harry’s back stiffen, his entire body freezing for a second.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Louis answered, some part of him hating the thought of hurting Harry even though that was ridiculous. 

It wasn’t as if Harry could actually be jealous or anything! He had made it clear that their kiss had been a mistake. But then again, he had also told Louis he deserved better, whatever that meant.

“Not your boyfriend _yet_ ,” Katie grinned and Louis rolled his eyes, deciding to spare his breath.

He could tell her that him and Zayn were just friends a hundred times but Katie would believe what she wanted to believe. There was just no convincing her!

“Whatever you say, KitKat,” he muttered, turning to leave the room.

He didn’t notice the way Harry’s eyes stayed on him as he left.

_______________________________________________

It was on Louis’ 18th birthday that it happened. He had woken up with a moan, his cock aching and hard in his pants.

But…there was something different about it. It almost felt as if someone were stroking him, coaxing soft sounds from his lips that he couldn’t help but let out.

Louis threw back the blankets and pulled off his pants, staring at his angry, red cock. He threw his head back and whined softly when he felt another tug on his shaft, followed by a thumb rubbing his wet slit.

“Fuck!” Louis muttered to himself and, after debating it for a second, reached down and wrapped a hand around his throbbing member.

He stroked it once, hard and firm, just the way he liked and an answering moan echoed from the neighbouring room. From _Harry’s_ room!

“No fucking way!” Louis gasped, sitting up in bed. 

A second later, the partition between the rooms was being folded back and Harry stood there, eyes wide and hair messy. But, more importantly, Harry was completely naked, his cock flushed and curving towards his abdomen.

“Lou,” Harry’s voice was deeper than normal, thick with something Louis recognised as desire, “ _You’re_ the one! You’re my…”

“Soulmate,” Louis finished the sentence at a whisper, “All this time?”

“The bond’s only completely formed once both individuals are eighteen,” Harry murmured automatically but his eyes were on Louis, raking greedily over his exposed body.

“Right,” Louis nodded, staring right back. 

Their eyes caught each other’s, unspoken words and feelings passing between them. Then, Harry, who had been standing by the partition, was beside Louis, pushing him back down onto the bed and positioning his larger body over him.

Louis couldn’t even protest as Harry reached down to grasp their cocks in one large hand, starting to stroke them both with firm pulls.

“Harry!” Louis moaned, hands reaching out to cling onto the older man’s shoulder. 

Harry groaned and leant down, capturing Louis’ soft lips in a kiss that was anything but innocent.

“Lou,” Harry panted, moving his lips from Louis’ mouth to his jaw, pressing kisses there and nibbling slightly, almost as if he couldn’t stop himself from marking the boy, “I _need_ you!”

Louis gasped as Harry’s lips trailed lower, his tongue swirling over his nipples until they were hardened peaks.

Louis was thrusting into Harry’s fist, unable to even think about stopping the mind-numbing pleasure his body was experiencing. His back arched as Harry moved even lower, one hand reaching under to squeeze Louis’ arse.

Suddenly, Harry’s hands slowed their relentless pace, stroking gently over Louis’ abdomen and thighs.

Louis made a noise of protest as Harry let go of their cocks.

“You’re so gorgeous, babe,” Harry murmured, his voice raspy.

He felt Harry press soft, reverent kisses to his stomach, nibbling gently against the skin of his thighs. His hands held Louis down, making sure the boy couldn’t even attempt to rub himself off.

Louis tolerated it for about a minute.

“You gonna make me come anytime soon, Daddy?” Louis sassed but he had to bite back a whimper of pleasure when he saw the way Harry’s eyes darkened at the word.

“Yeah,” Harry’s answered, huskily before reaching for Louis’ cock again.

Louis could only focus on the way Harry’s strokes had sped up and how the man’s fingers kept brushing against his sensitive balls.

When Harry moved back up to start suckling marks against his neck, moving his other hand down to cup and gently squeeze Louis’ balls, the younger boy couldn’t stop himself from letting out a throaty moan.

“Fuck! Harry, please!” Louis nearly sobbed as his pleasure rose, getting closer and closer to the crest.

His fingers were digging into Harry’s skin, one hand tangling in his curls and pulling at them, which only caused Harry to let go of their cocks in favour of grinding down.

The movement brought more pleasure than Louis could ever have imagined and, when Harry’s fingers dipped lower, brushing between his arse cheeks and over the tight ring of muscles there, Louis shuddered.

“I…I’m gonna…” Louis tried to pant but Harry seemed to already know for he just whispered, “That’s it. Let go, babe. Show me you’re mine, Lou.”

The pad of his thumb rubbed at Louis’ opening and the boy barely managed to stop himself from screaming as his orgasm was torn out of him. The feeling washed over him as spurt after spurt shot out of his twitching cock. 

Harry was rubbing himself faster now, his cock slipping down to Louis’ arse and rubbing between the crease there. 

“I’m…” Harry panted, his hips thrusting faster, chasing the friction.

“Mine”, Louis murmured back, giving Harry’s curls a swift tug and that was all the man could take.

He moaned out Louis’ name, panting against his neck as his orgasm coursed through him, his come covering both Louis and the bed sheets under them.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments as they came down from the high. If Louis concentrated, he could feel the slow thrum of the soulmate bond between them, pulling them together, wanting them to officially mate.

In any other circumstance, Louis would have let the bond lead him. He would have happily stayed in bed with the man all day. His mind was already reminding him where the lube was kept but he forced himself to stop, pushing Harry back with more force than he thought he possessed.

“Lou?” Harry’s voice was both confused and hurt, eyes still half-clouded with the remnant feeling of his orgasm.

Louis kept his gaze on the bed as he said, “You love my sister, Harry. You’re with her. Soul bond or not, I can’t be responsible for hurting her”.

“Louis, you’re _mine_!” Harry nearly growled the words, grabbing Louis’ arm and pulling him close, cradling the younger boy against his chest, “I love _you_! Don’t ever doubt that”.

Louis closed his eyes briefly, wishing that were true.

“That’s just the bond talking”, he managed to say, albeit shakily, “You love Katie. You told me you did!”

“I lied!” Harry’s anger had been replaced by something that sounded like shame, “I couldn’t figure out why I felt the way I did towards you. I thought, if I told myself that I loved Katie, my feelings for you would go away”.

Louis let out a pained whine and felt Harry’s arms stroke over his back, comfortingly.

“Lou, the soul bond can’t force two people to fall in love. It just lets you know when you find your most compatible match. The first time I saw you, even before we touched and the bond activated, I wanted to kiss you.”

Louis pulled back to stare at him in disbelief.

“I know I sound like a douchebag,” Harry continued with a grimace, “It’s not that I didn’t care about Katie but I saw you and…it felt different, Lou. It felt _right_. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”

“Hazza…” Louis began, hands reaching up to wrap around Harry’s shoulders but he was interrupted by a throat being cleared.

Without conscious thought on their parts, Louis moved closer to Harry, who shifted his stance in such a way that Louis was mostly shielded. He peeked over Harry’s shoulder to see Dan standing by his bedroom door.

His future step-dad’s gaze was on the floor, which meant he had clearly seen Louis and Harry’s naked forms.

Before either of them could attempt an explanation, Dan said, “Get dressed then meet me downstairs. Both of you”.

His tone gave nothing away and neither did his facial expression but he gave them one last, measured look before leaving the room.

Louis didn’t realise he was shaking until Harry’s arms wrapped around him again, the older man bringing him against his chest and murmuring soothing words into his ear.

“It’ll be okay, Lou. We’ll explain. I promise I won’t let them blame you,” Harry whispered and Louis let himself stay in the man’s arms for a few seconds of much needed comfort before he reluctantly pulled back.

“We’ll…go down together,” Louis decided and Harry nodded before rushing off to his room to get ready.

_______________________________________________

 

The sight that met them at the kitchen table was an unusual one. Katie was sitting at the table, crying softly as Jay hugged her. Dan was sitting opposite them and, as Louis and Harry entered the room, pulled out two chairs for them.

“Let’s clear some things up,” Dan began but, before he could say anything further or Louis could start apologising, Katie burst out with, “I’m so sorry, Louis! Please don’t hate me! I didn’t mean for it to happen..I..I didn’t _know_ -”

“How about we start from the beginning, Katie,” Jay suggested, calmly and Louis watched as his sister took a deep breath.

When she looked at him, her eyes were red from crying.

“Zayn came to see you last week, a couple of hours after you told us he was your date to the wedding,” Katie began.

“Not my date,” Louis felt the need to mumble, mostly to appease Harry, who had stiffened at the name.

Katie continued on as if he hadn’t spoken, “I swear I just grabbed his arm to pull him inside because he was being shy and then…we…we were kissing.”

Louis’ eyes widened in surprise but Katie took that the wrong way.

“I know! I’m the worst sister in the world but I promise you I didn’t mean for anything to happen! It’s the first time I’ve ever felt something like that. A..a spark,” she gave Harry an apologetic glance too but the man was focused on watching Louis’ reaction.

“ _Zayn’s_ your soulmate?!” Louis asked, aghast and Katie nodded, more tears slipping down her face.

“Please don’t hate me,” she whispered, “We couldn’t help it.”

“I don’t think any hating is going to take place,” Dan stated causally, hiding a smile behind his coffee mug.

Jay raised an eyebrow at him but Louis ignored them in favour of catching Katie’s eye.

“Your boyfriend’s my soulmate,” he blurted out before hearing Harry’s wince and realising that was probably not the most sensitive way to have introduced the topic.

So, he did what he did best. He babbled.

“Or, ex-boyfriend, I guess. Since Zayn’s your soulmate and all. It’s like you said. There was a spark, a pull and we…neither of us wanted to hurt you, Katie! We tried to stay away from each other but then, I woke up this morning and…”

Harry, mercifully, cut across Louis’ nervous speech before he ended up revealing their morning activities.

“I think what Louis’ trying to say is, we both owe you just as much of an apology.”

“Yeah”, Louis nodded, weakly, “What he said.”

Harry reached out under the table and laced their fingers together, squeezing Louis’ hand gently in silent reassurance. The touch sent a wave of calm through him, allowing him to focus better.

Katie was staring at them both, stunned into silence. Jay looked much the same. Dan was the only one who got up from the table with a smile on his face.

“Well! Glad that’s sorted then! Everyone’s happy with their soulmates, your mother and I are getting married in less than a week and I recall Harry volunteering yesterday to make pancakes for Louis’ birthday.”

It effectively cut the awkward silence in the room and, for reasons Louis couldn’t later recall, they all started laughing hysterically.

Harry leant across to give Louis a quick peck on the lips, murmuring, “Happy birthday, babe” before getting up to make the pancakes.

Louis blinked across the table at Katie, who was starting to smile.

“Y..you’re not angry at me?” Louis asked.

Katie rolled her eyes.

“If you want the honest truth, I never really thought Harry and I had a chance. We were more like best friends than a couple.”

Harry nodded in agreement from his place by the stove and Louis murmured, “Zayn and I decided to be just friends after the first date. He was just coming as my plus one to the wedding to help me out”.

Louis saw Harry’s shoulders relax and he smiled to himself. Things seemed to have worked themselves out a bit too easily but Louis, for one, wasn’t complaining!

_______________________________________________

 

_Twelve months later_

Louis and Harry stood at Katie’s wedding reception, watching her and Zayn do their first dance as a married couple.

“That’ll be us soon,” Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend as Louis glanced down at the finger which housed his engagement ring.

“I sincerely hope you’re better at dancing than Zayn,” Louis muttered back, wincing as he saw Katie glare daggers at her husband who had, once again, accidentally stepped on her foot.

“I’ll take dancing lessons,” Harry promised and Louis laughed, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend’s cheek.

Standing there with Harry’s warmth against his back as they watched Jay laughing with Dan, Liam feeding Niall cake and Katie and Zayn attempting to dance, Louis’ soul bond thrummed with a satisfied warmth.

Being engaged to your soulmate at the age of nineteen was rare. Louis supposed he was just lucky that way.

**Author's Note:**

> The ending is VERY self-indulgent. Obviously, things would never work out quite so neatly in real life. That’s why this is labelled fiction ;)  
> In other news, **I’ve finally gotten myself a[Tumblr](http://mysticbelievexx.tumblr.com) account!** I’ll probably discuss my stories on there so feel free to chat/follow me :)  
>  Comments are, as always, appreciated <3 xx


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